Trayvis Hunter is trying to make his mark in football, much like his older brother, Travis Hunter. However, the kind of success Travis has seen is going to be hard to replicate. Naturally, the two brothers have already been compared by some, and more will happen in the future, putting the younger Hunter under undue pressure.
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Travis has played for big-name coaches throughout his career. He suited up for Deion Sanders at Jackson State and Colorado in college. But before that, he took the field for Cam Newton. Recently, Travis attended the OT7 tournament in Dallas to support his younger brother, who also plays under Newton in the same program.
Trayvis showcased his skills with a touchdown reception at the event while Travis cheered from the sidelines. But not every day is going to be a good one. And Newton discussed what he called “the worst game I’ve ever seen Trayvis play” on his 4th&1 podcast.
Following that performance, other camp participants began comparing Trayvis unfavorably to his older brother, which “started to get to [Trayvis] mentally,” said Newton.
The former NFL MVP revealed that Trayvis vented to him about the comparisons. He offered a sympathetic ear but then shifted focus to how Trayvis should respond to this adversity. Newton revealed what advice he gave Trayvis that day.
“What [are] you going to do? In the grand scheme of things, nobody cares about who your brother is. You think they do, but they don’t. If anything, they hate on that. They envy that about you… But what you have to do is stay focused,” Newton narrated.
Trayvis won’t enter the collegiate ranks until 2027. Thus far, he has received four scholarship offers. Two of them — Jackson State and Tennessee State — are from FCS programs. The other two — Georgia Southern and Georgia State — are from Sun Belt Conference schools in his home state.
Newton also offered his insight into the playing styles of Travis and Trayvis with a thorough breakdown in the podcast.
Trayvis is the “quickest player” Newton has ever coached
Travis is almost guaranteed to be selected with a top-five pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Following up on such high standards would be tough for anyone. Trayvis is not likely to replicate Travis’ incredible collegiate career or NFL prospect status. However, he could still develop into a quality college player.
Trayvis’ small stature (5-foot-7, 140 lbs, per 247 Sports) is working against him. Reaching the NFL at that size isn’t impossible, but it would be extremely difficult. Thankfully, he’s not a finished product.
He’s still learning as a player and growing physically, too. While Trayvis, to Newton, doesn’t offer the same sort of dominance his brother provides, he may be better than Travis in some respects.
“First of all, athletic-wise, there’s no comparable… [Travis Hunter is] dominant on one side of the football, and just as dominant on the other side… [but] Trayvis is probably the quickest player that I’ve probably ever coached. Quick is different than fast, [and] right now, he doesn’t understand his skillset,” Newton added.
Newton also stated that Trayvis is “more polished with route technique” than Travis was at the same age. He believes Travis’ unique talent allowed him the luxury to be less fundamentally sound in high school.
Trayvis doesn’t have the same luxury, but as he improves — and hopefully gets physically larger — that savvy understanding of the sport could help him carve out a role in college and beyond.
